» Blocking Spam - Notes from 2002 «
Introduction, news and views : 2002
Dec 2002
This is getting stupid. I have just spend two and a half hours updating and editing my spam filters. I had got it down to the odd rogue, now it's up to 50 or more a day slipping through. *Growls*
Barring public execution for these leeches, here's my updated thoughts on a solution. This plague must affect near every person in every country, therefore it must be treated as a global menace. I don't care if it comes from AOL or Tonga, there must be an regulated, enforceable and severely punitive law to stop this. The only solution I can see if this:
- ALL mass mailings must be labeled AND categorised to that effect, preferably in the header, subject AND body
- ALL mass mailings must go through (country of origin) government controlled mail servers
- ALL mass mailings must be charged for (pre-paid in full) to the governing body
- ie text message $0.01 EACH, message with graphics $0.10 EACH - Failure to comply must be globally enforceable and severe enough to deter
- ie $0.50 for every unauthorised email sent and/or prison
- ie $1.00 for every faked email sent and/or automatic seize of all assets and/or prison
This will have a number of benefits. Blocking will be a whole lot easier, the volume of spam will plummit, it will free up a mass of bandwidth globally, reducing costs to everyone. Governments would be more inclined to go along with it and fob off the lobby element in favour of lucratives taxes from messages
Don't get me wrong, I'm not against mass mailings, far from it, I get a score of IT newsletters every days. If it means micro-billing to get them, fine. That's my choice. But I am fast losing patience with the unending stream of unwanted and inappropriate spam...
Autumn 2002
[Δ]
I don't know the answer, but I'm firmly in favour of capital punishment for spammers.
Me, I can't figure which is worst, the cretins that send out a million messages in the hope of making a fast buck, or the morons that actually send money to these parasites, encouraging them to continue.
This is requested email
We never send…
Blah blah. Oh yes... That's why I get barages of messages in foreign languages offering me help with American mortgages, offering medically improbable enhancements and those guaranteeing untold riches if I just give my all bank details to a stranger from Nigeria...
These are just a constant nuisance, but if I ever get my hands on the creatures targeting my young children with graphically rich content (ahem) there will be a reckoning! I know for a fact it is a jailable offence in many countries to send such material though the postal system, but because it's 'just spam' it appears acceptable to send this filth to minors.
What is equally disturbing is that to my knowledge the only times our kids have used email is for online competitions with responsible companies like CITV, Flipside and the BBC. Somewhere along the line less moral people have sold the details on to even lower life forms...
